Mello x Near Christmass Puzzles
by Raine1712
Summary: It is almost Christmass.   Mello does like getting presents, but he's not the best at giving them.  The wammy kids are are given a peculiar assignment, which drives Mello nuts   My summaries suck, please read XD  MelloxNear, cuteness guaranteed!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

This is boring. I hate christmass.

I mean, what good comes out of buying presents for others?

Sure, getting presents yourself is always good, I won't lie here. Whenever L buys something for me, I feel all elated like some stupid kindergarden girl...but come on.

Me? Buy a present? No...Damn you Roger, no!

This is all his fault. The fact that I'm standing in frond of these overly decorated shelves that make my stomach turn 360 degrees, is all Roger's fault.

What kind of stupid idea was that?

'Do not spend your allowance this month' He said, as he called each and every one of us in the common room. 'You will need this money for a small christmass

project I have prepared for you'.

And me, being the dupe I am, got all excited once I heard the word 'project'. If only I had known...

So I didn't spend my money. I managed to hold myself back from bying cigarettes for the past three weeks. I didn't drink in bars with Matt either. He ended up

going alone anyway. I doubt Matt gives a crap about these projects, heh.

This is our favourite pastime, how could I have just thrown it away for something so...stupid? Sheesh...

So the day of the ordeal arrived.

Roger came into the common room again, carrying a big white carton box. He said we would have a draw first.

Each of us was to go and pick a random wrapped paper from inside the box, and not open it up until he said so. So Roger-like...remembering it makes my blood

boil even more!

So I went and took my paper, feeling all happy and up for a challenge. Hey, at least it looked like fun then.

Until his explanation began.

'I hope you have saved your money like I asked.' he said and cleared his voice. Old dupe. 'Each of you is holding onto a paper. In the paper, there is a name.

You will have to buy a suitable present for your assigned person, the one written inside your papers, that is. Then, your target will give you a score.

It will not be me whom you will have to pass your assignment too, this time. It is your target, and your score will come from there.'

That was when my fighting spirit collapsed. So I had to guy some stupid present, for some stupid girl (or boy, I could care less) and get my grade from there?

Seriously, I think Roger's brain is becomming more disfunctional as the years go by.

'Your deadline is the 24th.' He said, and walked out of the room to answer the impatient phone that kept piercing right through my ears. What an ugly sound.

So that was when I opened my paper. That was when my problems began. That was when I read that goddamned name.

How could this happen to me?

Me? Buy a present for Near?

As soon as his name reached my mind, I glared at him as if I wanted to break every single bone in his little girly-looking body.

And he was looking back at me, holding his paper in frond of him, reading the name a few good times.

Great, just what I needed.

I ran to him through the room and snatched the paper away.

'Mello, what's wrong?' He asked me, his voice bearing no particurlar colors. It was empty, like usual. He didn't seem affected at all that my name was written

on his paper.

"What kind of sick joke is this?" I yelled and pushed him to the wall. He must've hit his back then, cuz it sure sounded like it.

"I don't understand what you mean, Mello." He replied right away. It just made me angrier! He never knows when to shut up, does he? I grabbed him

by the wrist and practically pulled him to Roger's office. I ignored the fact that his door was closed, I just opened it and rushed in.

I also ignored the fact that he was still talking on the phone. Darn oldfart, I felt like smucking your face god knows how much, right then!

I took his phone away and hang up, glaring at him, gritting my teeth from embarassement. Just the thought of having to exchange presents with the little

white furball made me feel like digging a grave for myself right then.

"what is the meaning of this?" I yelled out and shoved the papers in frond of his eyes, swinging them, just to make sure he noticed.

"what are you talking about, Mello?" Roger asked, looking clearly angry for what I had done.

I could care less who he was talking to! He made me save up my money like an idiot for this? Hell no, I wouldn't take that!

And as expeted, I got no concrete answer.

He said stuff like "oh, so you got paired up together" and "work hard", then he shood us away and went back to his phone calls.

I wonder how expensive his bills are. Sometimes I imagine shoving those bills in his mouth. It does give me a level of satisfaction.

...And that's about it.

Somehow, I ended up agreeing to the stupid game. And somehow, right now I'm standing in frond of shelves and shelves with stupid christmass contents, with the saleswoman

standing right beside me. This situation is freaking me out.

I've only have five days left to decide on the twerp's present. Crap.

"Sir, have you decided on anything? Do you need some help?" The saleswoman asked me, with that trademark sweet 'let-me-take-care-of-you' voice they all have.

She's hot alright. When she doesn't talk, that is.

"No, thanks." I reply as simply as I can, trying hard to not scare her away. Having to cope with an angry saleswoman is the least I need right now.

I am scanning the shelves with my eyes. Nothing comes to my attention. It's all pointless.

Unfortunately enough, I'll actually have to think this through, to find something the furrball would actually appreciate enough to give me a good mark.

What does he appreciate, other than his stupid toys...?

Wait-that's it. I'll buy him some sort of stupid toy, a puzzle, or something. He loves that stuff, this much I can tell.

I look at the saleswoman and clear my throat. "...T-Toys."

She raises and eyebrow and tilts her head. "Yes?"

God, why are women so stupid? What doesn't she understand?

"Where are your toys?" I am startng to lose my temper here...

The woman jumps up a little, but she still manages to hold that ugly, barbie-frozen smile on her face. "Unfortunately, we do not have toys here sir. Could I lead you to the perfumes though?"

Ok, that's it, I'm glad I don't have a gun or something with me. She'd be dead by now.

I walk to the exit fast and rush out, leaving the annoying barbie-wannabe smiling to herself.

...This is going to be a long week...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"So, did you find anything for snow-white?"

Damn it Matt, you just had to come and wake me up, after the difficult morning I just had.

"Do I look like I've bought anything?"

Seriously Matt, you're smarter than that.

"You're pretty nervous about what to get him, aren't you Mels?"

"WHAT?" I snap up and look at him dumbfounded. "Nervous? Have you lost it man?"

Why would I be nervous about that twerp? I could care less what he likes.

I only like my grade...stupid Matt...

"Is that why your face is red?" The stupid goof throws at my face, and rolls on the floor laughing his sorry ass off.

"My face isn't red, you bastard!" I scream and shove my leg on his stomach to push him away.

"Seriously Matt, stop being stupid. I can't stand it."

After a while, he suddenly stops laughing and eyes me for once. He's still smiling though.

Not ironically. It looks more like a reassuring smile.

"Come on Mels, be realistic." he says and stands up, walks to my bed and lays beside me. "If you didn't give a crap about what he liked, you would have gotten him any random present you'd found and all would be well. But you actually came back because you liked nothing!"

I stare at him blankly, my blood boiling slightly...

...what are you trying to say, Matt? This is stupid...!

"Hey hey hey, take that expression off your face, it doesn't suit you!" He says as he waves his hand in frond of my face.

"I don't want to lose." I finally speak out, eyeing him carefully.

"That's all there is to it." I stood up and headed to the toilet then, and left him there with himself.

Stupid Matt...

So the hours passed by lazily. We ended up playing cards for god' sake. I haven't played cards for years! And of course, Matt didn't mention anything stupid again.

Good. If he had, I would've shoved his head on a wall, so maybe he'd start thinking for a change.

Me...worry over Near...as if!

...Stupid Near...

I can't believe I spent all my precious morning searching for some damn interesting TOYS!

And, as expeted, I found nothing.

"Hey Mels, do you want me to take you somewhere?"

I look up at my red-head friend and lift my eyebrows. "Take me where?"

"It's not open now though. It's a jewelry shop." He says and smirks at me.

I death glare him, holding back the urge to tell him I already went to jewerly shops today.

"No need, dumbass." I reply lazily and stand up, heading for the door.

"Come on man, do you have to be like that?" He whines from my bed as I walk out of the room and simply shut the door, ignoring him, the sound of a pillow hitting the door as I close it. "Hey, don't ruin my room you idiot!"

He just laughs and goes back to his handheld.

Had any of this happened five minutes earler, I would've already be in the kitchen by now, and would probably have come back.

Had any of this happened earlier, I wouldn't have witnessed Near being bullied by some tiny jerks.

Had I been a good boy and minded my business, I wouldn't have saved his sorry ass.

But the look on the faces of those idiots sure was worth every punch I threw and had thrown at me.

Red suited them. Especially those broken teeth they gained from me.

But red didn't suit Near. Near should be pale. Near should be innocent and pure.

Seeing that red scratch on his cheek only made my blood boil more.

"Mello..." He spoke out with his emotionless voice, avoiding my gaze. I know he was confused right now. Who wouldn't? Even I am...

"Shut up." I said. "Nobody has the right to touch you except me."

Ok, I admit that sounded weird. I didn't mean it that way, for god' sake!

I really didn't...

But it somehow worked. He did shut up. He said nothing else on our way to the nurse's office, not during his treatment, neither after we left. Unfortunately enough, his bedroom is right next to mine. We had to go back the same way.

"Thank you." The pale furrball said as he opened his bedroom door and walked in, leaving me alone, lost, confused.

"You're welcome..." I said then, and went back to my own room, only to find Matt half-asleep on my bed.

Not knowing what to do, I simply threw myself on my bed, grabbed a pillow and placed it over my head to stop myself from thinking.


	3. Chapter 3

chapter 3:

Any sane person would've done nothing to the likes I did. I mean, who wakes up at 7 in the morning, gets dressed and goes off to the mall at 8?

And for what purpose? For Near? Come on...I must be going nuts...

I took the bus, then changed lines, took the subway and arrived at the Mall early in the morning.

To my surprise, I wasn't the only retard that went shopping so early in the morning.

Well, it was mainly me, and chicks.

That made it all the worse.

I stepped into some shops, looked through a few stuff, had an argument with some saleswomen and salesmen, and ended up walking out again.

"Damn...this has no end..."

And then it caught my attention.

It was a small, silver shiny object on display.

A puzzle piece.

So ironic, right? For some sick reason, it put a smile on my face.

Just looking at it made me feel like I had won already.

I decided to go in and have a better look at it.

"This is the last piece available" the saleswoman told me. "It is made of pure sterling silver, sir."

I can't really say for sure whether I was paying attention to her.

The little puzzle piece had caught my attention for good. I felt spellbound.

"How much is it?" I asked.

I didn't care about the price. I liked it. I liked it so much I felt like keeping it all for myself.

This felt mazochistic.

Damn you Near. What have you done to me? I'm going nuts...

And so I bought it. And so I headed back to Wammy's.

I was back around 11, and as expected, was interrogated by various annoying idiots.

They were teasing me, saying stuff like 'did you find anything for NEAR?' or 'isn't NEAR a hard fish to please?', always intensifying his name on purpose.

God knows how I managed not to beat them up till my hands bled. That would be satisfying alright.

But he was there. He was lost in his little world like always, playing with his puzzles, sitting in a corner in the common room, looking like he had no care in the world...But I knew better.

I wondered then, whether he felt nervous about this assignment as well.

Whether he searched for presents as well.

He looked so content and indifferent, it only made me angrier. I had to keep my cool.

I wouldn't lose to him. Not this time!

But he isn't looking at me...I doubt he even knows I'm here...It's always like this...

Me, looking at Near. Him, looking somewhere else.

Me, knowing where he is...This is sick...I've only now noticed...I always know where Near is, what Near is doing...

...this is starting to piss me off...

I turned around and rushed up to my room again, banged the door and locked myself in.

I don't want to think about Near...I want to crush him. I croutched on the floor, back against the door and clutched my fist, glaring at the wall in frond of me.

I can't stand this anymore. It's always Near Near Near Near!

Why? Why does this cunning little furrball have to occupy my thoughts this much?

Why does he make my blood boil like this...?

It makes me want to shove him on a wall and beat the shit out of him. But no...even this wouldn't satisfy me...

what...what would satisfy me?

Suddenly I hear a knock on my door. I don't reply. I don't want to see anyone right now. If I was to let anyone in, they'd most likely leave my bedroom looking like a beaten-up boxing bag.

The knocks on my door aren't ceasing. It's only making me more agitated.

"Get lost!" I scream out. Maybe they'd go away after this. Maybe I'd find my peace.

More knocks. And more. More. More.

Enough. I opened the door, and only found myself looking straight at the person I wanted to look the least at.

"...Near..."

He's simply standing there, in frond of me, his empty eyes piercing me like thousands of little daggers. I don't like this feeling...When he looks at me that way, I feel as if I'm naked, vulnerable, completely readable.

It pisses me off...him just standing in frond of me, pisses me off...

"I told you to get lost." I finally manage to say with a hoarse voice. I'm not looking at him anymore. I can't stand it.

"I wanted to ask whether Mello made any progress on his assignment"

...Excuse me? The nerve! Who does he think he is, comming here to practically ask me whether I have found a present for him yet?

I grab him by the collar and pull him in, shut the door and forcefully shove him on the wall.

"What? How dare you come here to ask me that? Do you find it fun? Your name being mentioned all the time, seeing me in a situation like this, teased, made fun of, does it make you happy?"

I can't keep it in anymore. I punched the door so hard, I wouldn't be surprised if there were to be a hole on it.

Not that I care much about the door, but I wouldn't like to start a commotion again.

"That's not it." He said, matter-of-factly, seemingly unaffected by my outburst. His ignorance made me all the more furious.

"That's not it? THAT'S NOT IT? Then what the FUCK do you want in my room, if THAT'S NOT IT?"

I'll never understand how he can keep this calm in situations like these...

If you beat him up, he won't show any emotion. He'll just let you beat him until you're satisfied, so he can go on with his life.

If you yell at him, he'll wait for you to finish.

How?...How can he do this? Why can't I find a weak spot of his?

I don't know why I'm looking into his eyes so intensively right now.

I have no idea why in heaven's name I'm moving closer.

Neither do I know why he isn't pulling away, or pushing me, for that matter.

No...if any of us had stopped, this wouldn't have happened.

But somehow, our lips ended up caressing each other.

Somehow, my heart is beating as if I was drowning...maybe I am drawning...

And somehow, for the first time in my life, I'm seeing a different side of Near.

Embarassed, lost, flushed. And the fact that his heartbeat is in synch with mine,

makes this moment all the more sweeter...and mazochistic...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

It's the 23rd.

Well, duh...and guess what? I still haven't given my present to Near.

After what happened, just looking at him makes me go nuts. I can't stand it. I'd rather be in Syberia instead of the same building with him right now.

After our...encounter, I just pushed him out of my room, locked myself in, and only came out whenever I was sure he wasn't around.

Cowardly on my part, maybe, but seeing his face is the least I need right now.

What I need is fresh air. Time to think. Time to punish myself maybe.

I have officially gone mad. Great.

It's 6 in the evening...in approximately 6 hours, it will be the 24th. It approximately 6 hours, I will have a failed my assignment. Failed...

No...I don't want to lose to him...

But there's not much I can do...!

What, do I just go up to him and happily give him his christmass present, pretending like nothing happened? Like I didn't have the time of my life kissing him?

...I want to bang my head on a wall right now...

Another knock on my room. I freeze.

No, it can't be him, if it's him I'm going to strangle him right now, that much, I know.

"Hey Mels~! It's me!"

I sigh a breath of relief and open the door for the goofhead.

"Hey..." I reply in a tired voice.

"Wow man, you look like shit!" How peculiar, Matt, how very peculiar...

I walk back to my bed, throw myself on it and shut my eyes tight.

"You haven't given your present to snow-white yet, have you?"

"I don't have a present." I lie casually.

"Hey, don't think you can fool me~ I know about the puzzle jewel."

Ok, that did it.

"What are you Matt? Some type of secret investigating force, dammitt?"

I'm death glaring him, still laying on my bed.

"Hey, not my fault that you shamelessly shopped for your boyfriend in the middle of the morning~I was there too, just happened to have a look-see." He says and grins his stupid face at me.

"Ok, just shut up, I can't stand you." I growl and turn my back at him, ignoring the 'boyfriend' statement, as much as I could. "Being made fun of is the least I need right now."

Matt is not the type to console anyone. He'll more likely come and make fun of you, in an attempt to make you laugh. He did make an exception this time though.

His squeezing hand on my shouldier might not be helping my situation very much, but it definitely makes me feel better.

"Don't fret over it Mels~ Just get it over with." He says, smiling, as he kneels next to my bed.

"And be a little more sincere with yourself, it doesn't hurt you know."

Please Matt, I don't need a psychologist right now...or maybe I do...

"I can't do this, I hate him."

"Back to your usual excuse, Mello?"

Shit...he's starting to piss me off...

But...as much as I hate to say so...as much as I hate myself for this...

He might be right...

"I can't do this..."

Matt simply sighs and pokes my shouldier playfully. "Come on Mello, stops it, this isn't like you! When did you become such a sore loser?"

I glare at him and kick him away. "Who's a loser, you brat?"

"You~!" He points and pulls away, laughing.

And then he left. Without saying anything else. He just left, closed the door, and left me alone.

He had a point.

I stayed there for hours, debating with myself whether to do it or not.

Oh what the hell.

I just stand up, stretch myself, open my shelf and grab the jewelry.

I'll just go to him, throw it at him and leave. Who cares about the albino sheep anyway?

That's what I had planned, at least.

I step in the unusually empty common room, and find Near by his puzzle again, lost deep in thought.

Heh, I bet he doesn't know I'm here. He never does.

"Hey, shitty furball!"

And, like usual, I gain no response.

"I think you should be aware of the basic communications rules. WHen someone adresses you.." I say as I move closer to him, grab his collar and lift him up, "You should reply. It's only proper etiquette, Near."

"..."

Why isn't he talking?

"Cat got your tongue, Near?"

"..."

This is beggining to tick me off.

"Talk."

"..."

Talk for heaven's sake, what's wrong with you?

He's looking down now, avoiding my eyes, and it almost looks as if he's avoiding my voice as well.

I place my fingers on his chin, lifts his head up and stare into his half-empty eyes.

"You want another kiss, Near, is that it?"

To be honest, I didn't expect a reaction out of this.

I honestly expeted his superior attitude to last more, but instead, he was just staring at me, wide-eyed, as if I had said the most fearsome thing in the world.

I never knew I was this weak. I simply let him slip down my fingers, fall on the floor, as if I momentally gave up on everything. On my rivalry. Of my sick feelings. Of the present...of the assignment.

"So...my kiss was that bad?" I joked with myself and smiled ironically. He didn't move.

"If I was that disgusting and fearsome you should have pushed me away, weak little sheep" I said and turned away, with all the good intention to just walk back to my room and forget about everything.

If he hadn't stopped me, that is.

The pale palm that was holding my wrist was cold like ice. He keeps sitting on the floor, of course he'll be cold...

He just tugged on my hand and made me turn around to face him again.

He was looking down, as he stood to his feet.

He was also looking down as he tugged on my hand again, motioning me to move closer.

But when he sheepishly rested his lips on mine, he wasn't looking down anymore.

He was looking straight into my eyes again. And there I was, feeling vulnerable again.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him closer, he wrapped his around my neck, and we held each other so tight that the world felt like it'd explode.

What has this little bastard done to me?

I kiss him more fiercly, holding him stronger, as if I'd be out of breath if he pulled away...

I was drowning...I was drowning in him...and I liked it...

He pulled away, rosy-cheeked, and looked down again.

For someone like Near, I can imagine how much power of will a gesture like this needed.

And, it suddenly all made sense.

I smiled to myself like an idiot, pulled the jewelry out and held it out for him.

"...Shut up and take it."

His eyes brightend up momentally. I wondered why. Soon, I found out.

He pulled something small out of his own pockets and held it out for me too.

It was another silver puzzle piece.

He took them both in his tiny fingers, and merged them together.

"They match." He said.

Suddenly, the clock ticked midnight. I looked down at him and whispered to his ear "Merry Christmass."


End file.
